New Delhi: Ravichandran Ashwin revealed a special instance of the then head coach Ravi Shastri coming to up the team’s morale during the tour of Australia for the Border-Gavaskar series in 2020-21. It happened after India went on to endure one of the most embarrassing Test outings of all time when they were bundled out for just 36 and lost the game by eight wickets, conceding the lead 1-0.
Whenever India head on to a tour Down Under, it has to bring up some remarkable stories. Similar was the case in 2020 when India continued their dominance over Australia, bagging the four-match Test series by 2-1. They had previously won the 2018-19 contest as well. They are set to tour the Kangaroo nation in the coming months and the difficulty has been increased by making it a five-Test affair.
The cricket fans fondly remember the previous edition of the BGT, not just for the amazing victory but also for the team’s undying spirit. Virat Kohli, who captained the team in the first Test, had to exit the series thereafter, leaving the team’s command in the hands of Ajinkya Rahane. The shortcomings didn’t stop there as key players like Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Shami, and KL Rahul were all ruled out for the entire series.
It was also the opportunity for new players like Mohammed Siraj, Washington Sundar, Shardul Thakur, and Shubman Gill to step up, which they did and helped the team to win the series.
Ashwin reveals Ravi Shastri’s anecdote
It was a huge setback for India when their scorecard read 36/9 as Shami was retired hurt and the whole team returned to the pavilion in the first Test at Adelaide. To add more gloom, Virat Kohli was returning home and the team desperately needed a ray of hope to win the series from here. Ashwin, who was one of India’s main performers in the series, said that head coach Ravi Shastri hosted a team dinner that evening and turned on the karaoke and started singing.
“We weren’t thinking of a series win at all, because the whole team atmosphere was down. But in the evening, Ravi bhai (Shastri) organised a team dinner, and he sang as well. He switched on the karaoke and started singing. Slowly, others followed too,” Ashwin recalled.
“Virat was leaving the team. So, we intended to be positive, go to Melbourne, and win. We didn’t think of the series… we kept small targets, and we took each match individually after that,” Ashwin told journalist Vimal Kumar on his YouTube channel.
After the home Test series against Bangladesh and New Zealand, India will fly down under to take on the Aussies as the mouth-watering Test action will unfold from November 22 with the first game scheduled in Perth.
Ravichandran Ashwin revealed how Ravi Shastri upped Team India’s morale after they were skittled for 36 in the Adelaide Test of the Border Gavaskar Trophy 2020-21. Cricket Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
